The Brisbane Lions are in a world of hurt right now.
Chris Fagan’s side have lost three of their past four matches, and as a result have fallen to sixth on the ladder having spent Rounds 9-17 inside the top four.
A 32-point loss to St Kilda came prior to a 20-point defeat to Richmond before they rallied from a tardy start to beat Gold Coast last weekend.
On Sunday, the Lions were comfortably accounted for by Hawthorn with a late goal frenzy masking what was a fairly average performance overall.
It poses the question - Have the Lions surrendered their premiership chances?
David King believes they have, suggesting their 2021 flag hopes are now done and dusted.
“They’re just simply not good enough. That’s the bottom line,” King said on SEN’s Whateley.
“They’ve won six quarters of the last 16. Put that into some sort of relevance, Hawthorn, Gold Coast and North Melbourne have won six of the last 16. The Cats have won 13 of the last 16.
“That’s a massive gap. You’re talking about a gulf now between the seriously good teams and where the Brisbane Lions actually sit right now.
“If you’re bland, you don’t have a brand.
“What do Brisbane throw at you that you can’t handle? That’s the question.
“It’s not about where they are on the ladder or where they finish, but their last month has been awful.
“They’ve had a poor month. I think their safe ball use is so easy for the opposition to stop. Unless they go quick, their forwards have no chance.
“I think they’re done. I think the gap between them and the genuine contenders is significant.”
The Lions, who are now eight points out of the four, have seen the likes of Port Adelaide and Sydney pass them by in recent weeks and face an uphill battle to nick a double chance slot with three fixtures remaining.
They take on Fremantle in Perth this weekend prior to matches against Collingwood and West Coast to wrap up the home and away season.